Lower atmospheric water vapour measurement at coastal Trivandrum (8.33°N, 77°E) using a high resolution Raman lidar

Abstract

Near simultaneous measurement of atmospheric aerosol and water vapour is described in this paper, making use of the Nd: YAG laser based multiwavelength lidar system, designed and developed in-house at Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Trivandrum, India. In the present study, the vibrational Raman scattered signals of N₂ and H₂O were used for the measurement of atmospheric water vapour and aerosol extinction. Nighttime water vapour profiles are obtained in the 1-6 km altitude regions in the lower troposphere. Necessary aerosol corrections to water vapour profiles are also done. Lidar derived water vapour profiles are compared with the profiles calculated from High resolution Regional Weather Model (HRM) available during the same period.